Vermont § 656a - Adjustment for additional dependents

§ 656a. Adjustment for additional dependents

• (a) As used in this section, “additional dependents” means any natural and adopted children
  and stepchildren for whom the parent has a duty of support. (b) In any proceeding to establish or modify child support, the total child support obligation
  for the children who are the subject of the support order shall be adjusted if a parent
  is also responsible for the support of additional dependents who are not the subject
  of the support order. The adjustments shall be made by calculating an amount under
  the guidelines to represent the support obligation for additional dependents based
  only upon the responsible parent’s available income, without any other adjustments.
  This amount shall be subtracted from that parent’s available income prior to calculating
  the total child support obligation based on both parents’ available income as provided
  in section 655 of this title. (c) The adjustment for additional dependents shall not be made to the extent that it contributes
  to the calculation of a support order lower than a previously existing support order
  for the children who are the subject of the modification hearing at which the adjustment
  is sought. (d) A motion for modification may not be dismissed or denied solely because the adjustment
  for additional dependents results in an increase of child support of ten percent or
  less if the increase without the adjustment is greater than ten percent. (Added 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 19.)